PA Gov. Tom Wolf administration hires new D.C. lobbying firm

A new administration in Harrisburg has meant a new set of policy goals, and now, a new lobbyist to ensure that the lawmakers shaping federal policies — and handing out tax dollars — are keeping Pennsylvania in mind.

Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has hired a South Carolina-based firm, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, to represent the commonwealth on Capitol Hill and in other federal matters. The firm's employees include former western Pennsylvania congressman Ron Klink, a Democrat.

Under a contract that began Monday, the firm will be paid $20,000 per month through March 31 to promote Pennsylvania's interests in Washington. In documents soliciting outside bids, the Wolf administration described that task as "including but not limited to maximizing the Commonwealth's receipt of federal funds."

"The administration has enlisted federal representation to help secure increasingly competitive federal funds, especially in the area of grants, and advocate for the governor's policy agenda," Wolf spokesman Jeffrey Sheridan said in response to questions about the firm's selection.

Klink declined to comment on the contract, referring questions to the governor's office.

Klink represented a suburban Pittsburgh district in the U.S. House for four terms in the 1990s. In 2000, the former television anchor ran for the U.S. Senate against Republican Rick Santorum.

After last fall's election, Klink served on Wolf's transition team, co-chairing a panel on labor and industry issues.

Until the end of February, two firms had represented Pennsylvania state government in Washington: Pittsburgh law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, and Ridge Policy Group, which was founded by Republican former Gov. Tom Ridge and two of his top aides.

The two firms were hired by former Gov. Tom Corbett in 2013, and were paid $240,000 last year to represent Pennsylvania's interests on farmland protection, water resources, child care grants, immigration policies, pipeline permitting, veterans benefits and other issues, according to lobbying disclosure reports.

Before that, the state had used Harrisburg-based L.G. Strategies to lobby the federal government. The group was run by Leslie Gromis Baker, who became Gov. Tom Corbett's chief of staff in July 2013.

There's a range of issues that arise in Washington on an almost weekly basis that affect Pennsylvania, said Mark Holman, a partner at Ridge Policy Group and ex-chief of staff to Ridge. He pointed to the state's National Guard as one example of a key state issue, saying that the firm advocated for ensuring that the second-largest National Guard operation in the country received the federal resources it needed.

While federal lobbyists can be crucial for keeping the governor and his staff up to speed on significant policy issues, such as the possible effects from a Supreme Court ruling expected later this month on Obamacare subsidies, they also can be a resource to the congressional delegation on the governor's position on a particular issue, Holman added.

Holman said he intends to reach out to staffers at Nelson Mullins to share information about what his firm had been working on for the state before their contract ended.

In addition to a firm representing general state interests in Washington, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency also employs a lobbyist to manage federal issues.

Combined, those lobbying contracts totaled $690,000 in 2014. That's down from the amount spent annually during Democratic former Gov. Ed Rendell's administration, when the yearly cost reached a high of $2.1 million in 2007.

Still, Pennsylvania's federal lobbying tab is near the top when compared against other state and local governments. The commonwealth was fifth in federal lobbying expenses last year, after the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, California's Los Angeles County, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and California's Orange County, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Troy Thompson, spokesman for the state's Department of General Services, said this was the first time that a state lobbying contract was awarded through competitive bidding instead of a sole-source process.

The amount that Nelson Mullins bid was "on par with past contracts" and less than what the other five firms bid, Thompson said. The administration will have the option of extending the contract for up to 12 months after it expires next spring.

A committee within the governor's office selected the firm based on cost and other criteria, including the contractor's past experience in government relations and the qualifications of its personnel, Thompson said.

Nelson Mullins has not previously represented Pennsylvania state government in federal matters, though it does advocate on behalf of Pennsylvania's Beaver County, according to federal disclosure forms.

Other clients include Comcast Corp., Duke Energy, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the Boston Beer Company — which makes Samuel Adams beer and employs 500 workers at a plant in Upper Macungie Township.